Keu! Vietnamese Sandwiches in London

I had heard people talking about Vietnamese sandwiches, and had tried it a couple of times and I must say I wasn't crazy about it. That is until Anissa took me to a small Vietnamese place near her flat in Old Street. These sandwiches are actually called Banh Mi, and what makes the ones at Keu so delicious is the bread: Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Their classic Banh Mi is composed of baguette filled with spiced pork belly, ham terrine and chicken liver pate, and is amazing. I also tried some of the one stuffed with the spicy roast duck. This is the perfect place for a quick meal, and if you are not hungry (shame on you), you can have a glass of their freshly squeezed orange juice or their delicious Vietnamese coffee.

Classic Banh Mi

Crispy duck

332 Old Street, London EC1V 9DR

Word on the Water

I haven't been the only one enjoying an internship, my room-mate has happily been interning on a boat. Yes, she has been spending her days on London's only book barge, that sails across London selling books to happy people. This book barge is the living proof that there still are some people out there who love a good bound paper book, and not the Ipad or Iphone version. The barge is a beautiful 1920's art deco one, but the best part is the barge's crew. Three friends run the boat, with the captain being a man named Paddy. There are two lovely cats that make their way through the books and are always up for a belly rub. Most of the books are second-hand ones, some are very rare and all prices are extremely reasonable. Since they only like to stay in one place for two weeks, you can find out where they are going to be moving next through their Twitter account. If it's a nice day they will also have live music on the top of the barge. I would say that making a visit to Word on the Water on a sunny day is one of the most fun experiences i have had in London.

07976 886982

Broadway Market

Last week I took advantage of the beautiful weather and explored new areas in London. Last saturday I met some friends in Hackney at Broadway market for lunch. It took quite a while to get there with the bus, but was worth it. It takes place on a little road that is closed to traffic on Saturdays and is full of food stalls. There is a burger stand, vegan stand, ghanian food, indian food, and I spotted quite a few dessert stands with huge slices of cake (one only sold different kinds of cheescakes!).
There are some stalls that sell clothes and just a 2 minute walk from the market is Regents canal where you can sit and eat whatever you picked-up for lunch, and enjoy the music that comes from the barges.

Broadway Market  London, Greater London E8 4PH

Context Travel

I have been interning at Context Travel for a while, it's a touring company that I initially came across in Rome. They organize amazing walks and tours in 15 cities worldwide. The people giving the tours really know what they are talking about, always make it fun, and that's why it has been so successful. I have been going on their tours and taking photographs for their website, it's been really fun and have also learnt a lot about the city I'm living in. Here are some pictures I took on a few walks around London, enjoy!

Sophie Minchilli in London is back!

So I've been gone for a while, busy working, traveling back home to Rome and interning for Context Travel. But I am back and settled in London, so i will be posting some new blogs very soon, in the meantime here are some pictures I took when back in the lovely Roma, Enjoy!

My favourite pasta: Amatriciana

Also managed to spend a couple of days by the sea in Bari:

Pasta Broccoli and Sausage

I have a slight obsession with vegetables, and while in London I feel like I truly miss my dear Roman vegetables. The other day I was in Waitrose and made a huge discovery: Romanesco Broccoli! This is one of my absolute favorite vegetables, it has a very bright, light green color and is almost cone-shaped. It has a very creamy and nutty taste compared to normal broccoli, and in Italy is used for a lot of different recipes. I decided to make pasta with broccoli and sausage.
Here is the recipe: (Didn't really follow one from a book)

- Pasta
- Garlic
- Sausage
- Romanesco Broccoli
- Olive oil
- Hot pepper
- Parmigiano (Pecorino Romano would be better, and they do sell it at Waitrose, I saw it!)

Cut the Broccoli in pieces, cutting off the tough parts
Cut the Sausage in small pieces

In a pan, let some oil, garlic and hot pepper heat.
When the Garlic starts to turn golden, toss in the sausage.

When sausage starts turning slightly brown, add the pieces of broccoli.
Put a lid ont he pan, and let cook. If it looks dry you can add some water, or I sometimes like to add some white wine.

In the meantime, let the pasta cook in boiling water.

When broccoli is cooked, toss pasta in the pan and mix all together, if needed you can add some more olive oil, and later grate some cheese.

Buon Appetito!

Kenwood House in Highgate Village

It's been about a year and a half now that I've been living in North London, and I've heard a lot of people mention "Highgate Village". Apparently, it's supposed to be one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in London, and after taking a walk through it with a friend the other day, I can confirm that it is. It's called 'village', because  it actually used to be a small town a long long time ago, and today, even though it's ten minutes from Archway station, it actually still feels like one. Right next to Highgate Village is Kenwood House, a beautiful 17th century estate, surrounded by amazing land and garden. The rooms inside the house are beautifully decorated and there are quite a few impressive art pieces, including a self-portrait by Rembrandt, which was my personal favorite. The gardens around the house made it feel like I was out in the countryside and for an afternoon made me forget I was actually within the city of London. There is a gazebo in the house's gardens from which you can see a breathtaking view of London's skyline. We found a cute Italian bakery (there are so many cute shops and bakeries) on the high street and had a short apple cake stop. The whole day was beautiful and with a 10 minute bus ride I was able to have a breath of fresh air and forget about London's chaos.